Sunset Beach - The Future Years
by Bianca Lane
Summary: Find out what happens after the finale. Includes the return of many favorite characters.


Time: After a 1 month hiatus, Sunset Beach is back. It picks up 1 month after the 'finale'  
  
  
  
"Casey! Casey! Stop that! I'm all wet now!" cried Sara Cummings to her boyfriend, Casey Mitchum.  
  
"You can cry all you want but I'm still going to splash you," he said.  
  
"You're trying to drown me. That's what it is," she replied.  
  
It was a beautiful day in Sunset Beach, a controversial, romantic, and elegant beach town in southern California. Sara was spending time with her handsome lifeguard fiancé at the beach, when he picked her up, ran to the water, and threw her in the ocean, which was followed by a severe punishment of splashing. Sara didn't mind it, though. It was just another opportunity for her "knight in shining armor" to rescue her.  
  
Sara thought back to that fateful day when the sparks started to fly between her and Casey. She felt alone in the world after her affair with Congressman Blythe, a married man, became public. Because of this, she was tempted to kill herself. She tried by ignoring the rip tide warnings on the beach, but was thankfully saved by Casey. Now, Sara did not know what she would do without him.  
  
Casey splashed her again and she said, "Casey, I mean it. Stop it. We could be doing much better adult things right now than these childish games."  
  
"What kind of adult things?" he asked slyly.  
  
"I don't know," she said hinting.  
  
"Like this?" he asked and kissed her.  
  
"Just like that. But, we can't do it unless we're out of the water," she said firmly.  
  
"Who says?" He kissed her again.  
  
"Me," she said as she pushed him away and walked coolly out of the cold ocean.  
  
He automatically followed her but paused when she quickly dried off and put on her tank top and shorts. He ran out of the water.  
  
"Hey! Where are you going?" he called.  
  
"I just remembered I have to meet Meg at the Java Web in five minutes," she said.  
  
"Oh. It's so nice that you two could put away your past and become friends again." He paused. "I was such a fool for not believing you and for loving her. I always loved you…"  
  
"That's all forgotten now, Casey. Derek and Tess are paying for what they did, Meg and Ben are married, and Maria is gone. Let's just focus on the present," Sara said quietly.  
  
Sara was speaking of the rotten duo of Derek and Tess. Tim Truman was from Kansas, where Sara was originally from, along with her sister, Meg, and parents, Hank and Joan. Tess Marin was from Seattle and had a plan to get Maria Torres back together with her husband, Ben Evans, who thought Maria was dead for five years. Maria, having no recollection of the five years that she was missing, was extremely gullible when Tess had told her that she had a son with Ben, Benjy.  
  
Tess also claimed that in Seattle, Maria had signed a promissory note that if Maria got back together with Ben, Tess would get $1,000,000 of Ben's money. There was just one problem, Ben was with Meg Cummings. Tess was very determined to break up Ben and Meg and received Tim's help since he was money hungry. In the process of doing this, Tim and Tess broke up not only Ben and Meg, but Sara and Casey as well. Casey then decided he had strong feelings for Meg but was actually just vulnerable from breaking up with Sara.  
  
Unfortunately, Tim died when he was pushed into the wet cement of a new statue for the park and was immortalized in it. Tess and Derek, Ben's twin brother and her boyfriend, killed him because he was getting in the way of their plans. In the end, Sara discovered their plan and the gruesome twosome was sentenced to jail. Why? Derek had attacked Ben several months before and was trying to take over his life again like he had done before. Everyone had thought he was dead. Ben was held in captivity for all those months thinking about how much he loved Meg. Towards the end, Derek also held Casey, Sara, Meg, and Maria hostage. In a struggle between Ben and Derek, it came down to a single gunshot. Derek was dead.  
  
Benjy turned out to be Tess' son with Derek. Tess went to jail with a life sentence. Ben and Meg got married on New Year's Eve in a spur of the moment wedding with Vanessa and Michael. After being held captive, Casey realized he still loved Sara and proposed to her the day before Meg's wedding. Maria also met a new man, Ross English, whom she is starting a relationship with. Maria also connected with Benjy and decided to take full custody of him.  
  
"All right," Casey agreed.  
  
"We can pick up where we left off tonight," she whispered in his ear.  
  
"I'll be waiting," he said, then lifted her and kissed her passionately.  
  
"I'm going to be late! Bye, Casey!" she called running up the beach.  
  
* * *  
  
Meg Evans sat at a small table in the back of the Java Web, a trendy Internet café, and waited for her sister, Sara, to arrive.  
  
Probably spending time with Casey, she thought. It's better that I'm with Ben. I love him and absolutely nothing can go wrong in our relationship this time. His ex-wife's moving on and his evil twin brother is dead so I have nothing to worry about. We can finally start a family. I've been ready for two years to be his wife and now I finally am. Something stopped us every time. But nothing will come between us this time. I'm certain.  
  
1 "Meg! Sorry, I'm late," said Sara, rushing over to Meg's table. "I was just-"  
  
"Spending time with Casey?" asked Meg.  
  
"Yeah, how'd you guess?"  
  
"Well ever since you two got back together, you've been inseparable," Meg replied. "Plus, you've got that girlish glow that only Casey can give you."  
  
Sara blushed. "So have you and Ben. I knew you two belonged together. Ever since you got married last month, you barely left the house!"  
  
"I knew you and Casey belonged together. I could tell that when he said he had strong feelings for me. It was in his eyes that he still loved you."  
  
"I'm just so happy we all sorted out our problems and worked everything out," Sara said.  
  
"Me too."  
  
There was a pause and then Meg said, "So, when's the wedding day?"  
  
"We haven't really planned that far in advance yet. We just want to enjoy being in love," Sara blushed again. "How was Venice?"  
  
"Venice was wonderful!" Meg exclaimed. Meg and Ben had just returned from a two-week stay in Venice for their honeymoon. "Very romantic," she added.  
  
The girls chatted about their love lives for a little longer when Sara finally said, "I'm afraid I have to cut this little heart-to-heart short."  
  
"Why?" Meg asked.  
  
"I told Mom and Dad that I'd help out at the Shockwave this afternoon. Kelly's sick and Margot's on vacation plus they lost Tim when he was murdered so they're running low on help. It's only them, Amy, and Brad. And, we know Amy's pregnant."  
  
"Oh. I see. Well, you better go. Bye, Sara."  
  
"Bye Meg," said Sara and she turned and left the Java Web.  
  
* * *  
  
Caitlin Deschanel sat in her apartment in the Sunset Sands Apartment building on the coast of Sunset Beach. The place was large and well furnished. She sat in a wooden rocking chair knitting, keeping an ear out for any noises that would come from the baby monitor that sat on the table beside her.  
  
Caitlin was now a single mother, although she was not her baby's birth mother. The confusing saga began when Caitlin had met Cole Deschanel, a jewel thief, and fell in love with him. Her controlling father, Gregory Richards, forbade the two lovers to see each other so the couple split up. Cole went back to his days of crime and sleeping with various women so he could get his hands on their jewels. One of these women was Olivia Richards, Gregory's wife and Caitlin's mother. Olivia and Cole did not know who the other was and had an affair. The result of the affair was Trey, an innocent baby boy. However, at the time, everyone thought that Trey was Gregory and Olivia's child.  
  
Caitlin and Cole then managed to get back together and Cole abandoned his crime. Then, after a matter of time, Caitlin became pregnant with Cole's child, who was soon lost in a car accident. Caitlin could not bear to tell Cole the news of their baby's death, so she faked the rest of her pregnancy and married Cole. With a little help from her brother, Sean, and Annie Douglas, who was using Caitlin to get to her father, she pulled it off with a baby boy who Annie had claimed she got from a single mother who could not afford to keep her own child.  
  
It later came out that Annie had stolen the baby from Olivia (she used a labor inducing drug and an amnesiac drug so Olivia would not remember what happened) and that the baby was really Cole's and Olivia's. Caitlin was devastated by the news. The little boy she loved so dearly was actually her brother, or was it her stepson?  
  
In the end, Cole ended up fleeing town to England because he claimed that someone was out to get him. He promised he would come back for Caitlin and Trey but she had not heard anything from him and didn't even know where to contact him. Then he returned only to leave again to seek his fortune in Texas. Although his destination changed, he still promised to return. But still, no number was left of where he could be reached. It turned out that Caitlin would need to contact him because Caitlin's mother, Olivia, was on her deathbed.  
  
Olivia had been diagnosed with cancer in her liver. In the past, Olivia had been an alcoholic so her liver was badly damaged. Since she had not had a regular physical at the doctor's office in years, the cancer had spread and gotten worse. The doctors gave her three months to live.  
  
There were only three months left. Caitlin didn't know what she would do with herself when her mother did actually die. But then she realized there was only one thing she could do. That was to fulfill her mother's dying request, to take care of Trey and raise him as her own. Without Cole, she would have to support Trey all by herself.  
  
This meant that Caitlin had to get a real job. She quickly found one at a local bar where she could waitress and get a sufficient paycheck that would support herself and Trey until Cole returned, whenever that is. While Caitlin bartends, Rose, the faithful family servant, takes Trey to her own home and watches him. She was very kind and offered to baby-sit for free.  
  
Caitlin glanced over at the framed picture on the table next to the baby monitor. "Oh, Mom. Why do you have to die?" she asked to the silence of the room. A single tear trickled down her cheek. "Why did you have to abandon me right when Cole left me, too? Why?" These were questions that did not have answers.  
  
Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Cole?" Caitlin said aloud. She eagerly stood up, walked to the apartment door and opened it.  
  
"Hi, Cait."  
  
It wasn't Cole, but it was her brother, Sean, and his girlfriend, Emily Davis.  
  
Her heart sank. "Hello, Sean, Emily. Come in. Sit down."  
  
The couple moved into the room and sat down on the brand new white sofa covered in plastic. Caitlin returned to her rocking chair.  
  
"We just went to see Mom at Cedar Oaks," Sean said breaking the silence.  
  
"She's looking a lot better and seemed happier than she did last week," Emily quietly stated.  
  
"Yes," Caitlin said. "I brought Trey to see her this morning."  
  
"She told us," Sean said looking down at the green carpet.  
  
"So what brings you here?" asked Caitlin.  
  
"We were on our way home when we decided to stop in for a visit."  
  
"That was nice of you."  
  
"And we came to tell you that we bought an apartment together," Sean said happily.  
  
"Oh, really. How exciting."  
  
"Cait, we just thought you'd be happy for us. But if you're going to be so sarcastic…" Sean snapped.  
  
"Oh, Sean! I'm so sorry!" Caitlin proclaimed apologetically. "It's just that ever since Cole left and Mom got sick I've just been down in the dumps."  
  
"Have you heard from Cole lately?" Emily asked.  
  
Caitlin shook her head.  
  
There was a long pause. No one quite knew what to say to each other. Sean felt bad for his sister. He only hoped that the family's assets would go to her once they decided to do with their father, Gregory's, estate now that he would be serving a life sentence in prison. And once their mother died. Sean was never close with either of his parents. He wasn't depressed that his father was in jail. He grew up hating him. He was however saddened by the news of his mother, but did not take it as badly as his sister.  
  
Just then, Trey began to cry.  
  
"I have to take care of this," Caitlin said, getting up from her chair.  
  
"Do you want us to help?" Sean asked his sister.  
  
"No," she replied flatly. "I think it would be better if you just left."  
  
"Are you sure?" Emily asked.  
  
"Quite sure," Caitlin said opening the door to the baby's room.  
  
Caitlin heard her apartment door slam as she picked up Trey. Tears began flooding from her eyes. She couldn't control them.  
  
* * *  
  
Amy Nielsen sat on a bar stool at the Shockwave restaurant patting her still small but growing belly. It was a slow day and Amy felt it was getting harder to work with her morning sickness and being on her feet all day. She had informed her employers, Hank and Joan Cummings, that she was pregnant but urged them to keep it quiet. The only other people who knew were their daughters Sara and Meg who agreed to fill in for her if she ever needed a rest. Other than that, Amy told no one.  
  
The truth was, Amy didn't know exactly who the father of her baby was. She did know that it was either Sean's baby or Brad's, although she had a strong feeling it was Sean's. Three months before, she had drugged Sean into sleeping with her, in which they had unprotected sex. That was the main reason Amy believed it was Sean's. Around the same time, Amy had slept with Brad once but she knew they had used protection.  
  
If Amy had known two months before that she was pregnant and there was a possibility it was Sean's, she would have jumped at the chance to ruin his relationship with sweet, little Emily Davis. Now, however, Amy agreed to stay out of their lives and was actually happy for them. Amy had also begun a relationship with Brad, which was beginning to get serious. Amy didn't want to destroy her relationship with Brad. She really liked him. She knew eventually she would start showing and would have to explain who the father was. She feared she would begin having a "slut reputation" which she didn't want. She prayed she was carrying Brad's baby but she had a sinking feeling it was Sean's.  
  
* * *  
  
Gabi Martinez sat on a plane for Sunset Beach. How could she have been so wrong to leave the place she loved so much, her home? Gabi had left Sunset Beach when her husband, Ricardo, divorced her for sleeping with his brother and priest, Antonio. She basically dumped both men the day of the double wedding. At the time, Gabi wanted to seek a new life in Santa Fe, but soon after, something was calling her back to the beach. She knew it wasn't the memory of the Torres boys, but it was something else. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.  
  
* * *  
  
Mark Wholper stood in front of gate 36 at a Seattle airport. For the past two years, Mark had been held captive by Derek in Seattle. The conditions weren't horrible. He'd been able to survive them. He was fed frequently. The only problem was, it was in a drafty old basement where he could not get up and walk around. Two weeks before, a woman by the name of Marsha had found him there and helped him regain his strength.  
  
Now, Mark was healthy again and was prepared to battle Derek and Tess and warn the citizens of Sunset Beach in their evil plot.  
  
* * *  
  
"Baby, I'm coming back for you," Tiffany Thorne whispered as she stared at the small picture in her wallet. She paid the cashier and slipped the pair of cool black sunglasses over her eyes. She smoothed her beautiful blonde hair as she walked out the door. Tiffany was finally back in Sunset Beach after a two and a half year absence.  
  
Tiffany deeply regretted the reason she left. She had been bribed by Olivia Richards to leave town and leave her son alone. She loved him but times were tough then and she needed money. Now, she was back for him, her gorgeous Sean. He was the only man in her life who treated her like a lady. Her previous boyfriends since she left Sunset Beach treated her like crap. She was ready for a good relationship with the man she still carried a torch for. She headed for the Richards mansion.  
  
* * *  
  
Mark stepped off the plane and headed for the baggage claim area of the Los Angeles International Airport. He concentrated deeply about his mission. What if Derek and Tess catch me before I warn anyone? They will kill me for sure. I need to keep a low profile.  
  
Just then, something bumped into him. He spun around to see who or what it was. Standing before him was a gorgeous face he would recognize anywhere. Soft brown eyes, long black hair, the sweetest smile.  
  
"Gabi Martinez?" he asked surprised. A smile was brought to his face. It was undoubtedly the first time he smiled in two years.  
  
She squinted to see who it was. His appearance had changed slightly. She was having a little trouble recognizing him, especially since she thought he had died on Terror Island two years before.  
  
"Mark?" she asked softly.  
  
"Yes," he said grinning like a child.  
  
"You're alive?" she whispered, still in disbelief. "Am I dreaming?"  
  
"No, I'm very much alive," he said. He had been in love with Gabi once. They had confessed their love for each other before he had been captured by the evil Derek.  
  
"How?" she asked. "How did you survive? How did you get off the island?" There were a million questions she wanted to ask. He had been the love of her life before Ricardo. She had really missed him all those years.  
  
"Derek," he began. "He thought I could be of use to him so he flew me back to Seattle where I met Tess Marin. She soon realized I was no good to them so they locked me in their basement. I was fed but didn't get to walk around much."  
  
"Oh my God," Gabi gasped.  
  
"Two weeks ago, a woman named Marsha found me. I was in rough shape. She nursed me back to health. Now I am strong enough to fight Derek and Tess. They told me all their plans to torture me. That's why I have to protect the people of Sunset Beach."  
  
"Oh, Mark!" Gabi exclaimed. "Derek is dead and Tess is in jail. You just missed it."  
  
"Are you serious?" he asked. He couldn't believe his ears.  
  
She nodded her head.  
  
"That's a relief," he said. "Now I can start my life over. Can I treat you to some coffee?"  
  
"That would be really nice," Gabi said sweetly. She was elated.  
  
* * *  
  
Meg walked up the stairway to the offices at the trendy Sunset Beach nightclub The Deep, owned by her new husband, Ben Evans. After her breakfast meeting with Sara, she decided to surprise him at his office where he said he needed to do paperwork. It was a Saturday but with a week's worth of Liberty Corporation business, which both Ben and Meg were a part of, Ben hardly got a chance to do work for his nightclub. Meg knew how hard it was juggling two jobs. She and Sara owned a store that occupied a lot of their time. Sara did the most work on it since that was her only job besides filling in at their parents' restaurant. Meg felt bad that Sara did most of the work but Sara enjoyed it.  
  
As she approached the door to Ben's office, Meg pondered whether she should knock or not. We're married now, she thought. I'm his wife. I shouldn't need to knock. When she opened the door, she found Ben facing the back wall talking to someone on the phone about the alcohol delivery. She crept in and sat down in one of the chairs, patiently waiting.  
  
After five minutes or what seemed like an eternity, Ben spun around in his desk chair to view the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. And she was his wife.  
  
"Well, where did you come from?" he asked her in his sexy British accent.  
  
"I came to discuss a business proposition," she replied slyly.  
  
"Oh?" he said raising a brow.  
  
She got up and approached him. "Just don't tell your wife about this."  
  
"Believe me, I won't need to," he whispered. "Make love to me Meg."  
  
The two shared an intimate kiss.  
  
"Right here?" she asked.  
  
"Mmhhmm."  
  
"Right now?"  
  
"It's not like we haven't done it before," he chuckled.  
  
"All right, Mr. Evans. If you say so." With that she unbuttoned her shirt.  
  
He pulled her close. "I love you Meg Evans."  
  
"I love you, too, SB," she replied.  
  
* * *  
  
"I wonder what Gabi's doing now," Paula Stevens wondered out loud.  
  
"No you don't," her mother, Elaine, replied entering the room.  
  
"Excuse me?" Paula retorted. "I don't have a right to wonder what my sister's been up to? I haven't spoken to her in months."  
  
"I didn't say that. I was referring to the fact that you're actually wondering what Ricardo's doing."  
  
"Come on, Mother. That's ridiculous. I haven't thought about Ricardo in a long time."  
  
"But your sister single-handedly ruined your life with the man you loved and you don't even think about him? Get real, Paula. I'm your mother. I can read you like a book."  
  
"Anyway," Paula began, matter of factly. "I was thinking of taking a trip to Sunset Beach to visit Gabi and Cole. I haven't seen them or heard from them in a long time and I was thinking it was about time."  
  
"Deny it all you want but you really want to see Ricardo," Elaine replied.  
  
"Maybe I do. Who knows! I'm bound to run into him there anyway."  
  
"You're still carrying a torch for him. I know it!"  
  
"We'll see. I'm going to book a flight for next week. Would you like to join me and see your grandson, Trey?"  
  
"That sounds like a lovely idea, Paula."  
  
* * *  
  
Brad Niklaus walked down the streets of downtown Sunset Beach trying to find a gift for his and Amy's one-month anniversary. Even though Brad and Amy were an item now, Brad couldn't help but notice other fine looking women. That's why the sight of the cool blonde walking out of the Sunglass Hut made him automatically start following her.  
  
What are you doing Brad? he asked himself. You're with Amy now. It's a good relationship. You've been together for a month. She's every bit as beautiful and blonde as that girl. Still something made him want to know her.  
  
As he neared her, the small golden bracelet slipped off her wrist. Perfect, Brad thought and he picked it up.  
  
Tiffany felt a light tap on her shoulder and abruptly turned around. "Yes?" she said lifting her sunglasses to better see him. He was a good- looking guy, brown hair, brown eyes. Not quite her type, but then again the only guy she wanted was Sean.  
  
"You dropped this," he said sexily, holding up her bracelet.  
  
She looked at her wrist and realized it was in fact hers. "Thank you so much," she said snatching the dangling bracelet from his hands. "It was really expensive. Not many people would give it back. You seem like a nice guy." In actuality, she spent ten dollars on the bracelet at K-Mart but she decided to flirt along with him, lead him on.  
  
"Well, I'm just that kind of guy," he smiled. "Brad Niklaus," he said holding out his hand.  
  
"Tiffany Thorne," she replied giving her hand in return.  
  
* * *  
  
Antonio Torres stood on the front steps of his sister, Maria's, beach apartment. He had just returned from a month long retreat in Arizona where he deeply thought about his decision to leave the priesthood. Another priest at the mission suggested he leave before word of the scandal reached the press, but at the time, Antonio really didn't know if he wanted to leave the priesthood.  
  
The scandal had been one that changed Antonio's life forever. One night, there was a cave in at A.J. Deschanel's office where Antonio and his brother's fiancé Gabi had been. They were trapped and didn't think they would survive. Therefore, they gave into their urges and made love only to be rescued. There had been sexual tension between them for months but this act destroyed everything for both of them. Francesca Vargas, a former jewel thief whom Antonio had known from a mission in Rosario, Mexico, had secretly video taped the whole affair. When Antonio's brother, Ricardo, viewed the tape, he had a massive stroke leaving him paralyzed. During this time, Gabi and Ricardo married and Ricardo began seeking his revenge. He planned to kill them both but it backfired and everyone ended up alive. Ricardo's plot for revenge had gotten him fired from his position at the Sunset Beach Police Department. Ricardo, Antonio, and Gabi reconciled only for Gabi to leave Sunset Beach for the sake of the brothers' relationship.  
  
Antonio rang the doorbell to his sister's apartment. He had some news he wanted to tell the whole family. He was going to establish a family meeting at his mother's house to tell them of his decision. The thing was, he couldn't reach Maria.  
  
* * *  
  
Maria Torres sat on her living room sofa being smothered with kisses from her new boyfriend Ross English. Her adopted son, Benjy, was at pre- school so she figured it was the perfect time to spend time with Ross.  
  
Her perfect moment was soon interrupted by the sound of the doorbell. Maria started to get up but Ross stopped her in mid-kiss. "Just ignore it."  
  
Maria nodded and continued her make-out session but the bell was persistent. "I have to get it," she said.  
  
"Get rid of them and make it quick," he said seductively.  
  
She got up from the couch and walked toward the door. She was shocked to see her brother, Antonio, was standing on the other side.  
  
"Maria!" he exclaimed and welcomed her into an embrace.  
  
"Antonio! When did you get back?"  
  
"Just now. I just had to see you. I really need to talk to the whole family. That's why I came over today."  
  
"Oh, and here I was thinking you came to see me because you missed your sister so much," Maria said jokingly.  
  
"Of course! But I actually came to tell you that I want to hold a 'family meeting' at Mama's tonight. I've got important news."  
  
"I'll be there," she replied with a smile. "I'd ask you to come in but I've already got some company I need to tend to."  
  
"Oh I see. So Ross is here. Your new boyfriend is keeping you busy. I'll leave you alone. See you at Mama's, seven o'clock sharp!" he called as he headed down the beach.  
  
Maria waved as Ross scooped her in his arms and carried her away. She hadn't been this happy in a long time. 


End file.
